The authors define in the preface that their objectives in this text are to cover the entire field of virology—plant, insect, and bacterial as well as animal viruses. They also choose to consider in some detail the physical, chemical, and biochemical aspects of the structure and replication of viruses, especially as regards virus classification.
The book, in one way, is a concise, annotated classification of viruses. By intent, there is little information about medical or disease aspects of virus infections. The figures are well chosen to illustrate important aspects of virus structure and replication. References are conveniently placed at the end of subsections of chapters. A number of references from 1985 to 1987 have been included as part of the revision for the second edition. The first edition is not available for comparison, but the content of this edition seems current.
This book is well written, concise, and understandable. The